


a promise

by civillove



Series: plans wrapped in rubber bands [25]
Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-30 05:03:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19846144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/civillove/pseuds/civillove
Summary: Summary: The final showdown with Veto. That’s it, that’s the summary. (No prompts were used in this final piece)--Beth leans against the side of her trunk, crossing her arms over her chest as she watches him take the last few pumpkins she has in the cart and load them up for her. “So the plan is: walk in, shoot Veto.”Rio’s eyes narrow just a little before he looks at her, his jaw working in that way that tells her he’s teetering on losing his patience. He chews on the inside of his cheek, “I’m sorry that’s not detailed enough for you. What kind of plan do you want, Mission Impossible?”





	a promise

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is it! I hope everyone enjoyed reading the journey as I enjoyed writing it. I’m excited to see what comes next for these two disasters. Thanks to everyone for reading, submitting prompts, hitting the kudos button, commenting, reblogging/liking on tumblr and anyone who’s ever fic recc’d me—means a LOT <333

Beth waits up for Rio when she gets into his apartment. She changes out into something more comfortable; a sports bra and a pair of leggings, and a big sweater that’s fraying at the bottom overtop of it.

She wanders into the bathroom and turns on the light, staring at herself in the mirror for a few moments. It’s almost ironic to her that she does this periodically, as if she expects her reflection to somehow change drastically. She feels different, always adapting, and yet those same eyes stare back at her.

A soft sigh leaves her lips before she pulls her hair back into a loose bun and finds a washcloth to wash her face with. She takes her time to let the water heat up, squeezing excess liquid out before she drags the material from her forehead down to her neck. Her skin is kissed pink afterwards but it feels nice, like she’s somehow starting fresh. She lays the wet washcloth along the sink before picking up a small container of lotion she keeps near the mirror, putting a pea sized amount onto her fingers.

She splays it out along her cheekbones and rubs it in, taking a deep breath of the honey infused scent as she walks back out into Rio’s bedroom. Beth sits down on his side of the bed, next to the orchid, fingering one of the petals to make sure it doesn’t need watered.

A soft smile tugs at the ends of her mouth because he’s clearly been taking care of it; doesn’t take very much for an orchid to wilt. She pulls her knees up onto the bed and leans back against the pillows the same time Rio unlocks his apartment door.

She watches him come in and tug the hood off his head, his eyes finding hers on his bed as he walks towards his closet.

“You were only gone a half hour, whatever she told you must have been quick.”

He disappears behind the wall of his closet, most likely taking his shoes and hoodie off. He keeps the jeans and t-shirt on when he comes back out, approaching the bed with a guarded expression on his face. She’s either getting better at reading him or he’s letting her see when something’s not quite right. Regardless, she doesn’t like the tense line along the back of his shoulders.

“So were you just not gonna tell me about Veto askin’ for a partnership or…”

He stares at her, waiting for a response and Beth has to close her eyes. She brings her hand up to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose because _that’s_ what was so urgent that Carlita couldn’t wait? That’s what she had to tell him?

“She really just can’t keep her nose out of our business can she?” It’s mumbled and she’s talking to herself more than Rio but he bristles anyways.

“That’s not what I asked you.”

Beth pulls her hand away from her face and sighs, fixing her gaze back on him. “No,” She says honestly. “I wasn’t going to tell you.”

It wasn’t that she was trying to actively keep something from him…but that night she had dinner with Veto, things had gotten out of hand very quickly. She showed up at the bar and _things_ happened and then Rio was telling her about Carlita—it never seemed like the right time. Especially since,

“I was never going to take it,” She adds on quickly, “I never even considered it.”

Rio’s jaw works a moment as he bites down on the inside of his cheek, not looking at her as he takes a seat on the corner of the end of the bed. “Yeah, that’s probably a good thing. Seein’ as how he’s the reason the dealership was broken into.”

A breath catches in Beth’s throat and she slowly puts her feet on the ground because there’s a whirlwind of emotions that are hitting her all at once. She feels stupid for not seeing through Veto’s smoke and mirrors sooner, guilty for what’s happened to Ronald, ashamed that she actually thought Veto was a _decent_ guy when they first started working with him, angry that he’s made her feel vulnerable and torn open and that he tried to use this as an advantage to propose working with him—

“That’s what Carlita wanted to tell me.” Rio continues after a moment, eyes reading over her like a book.

Beth stands from the bed, intent on moving past him but he grabs her wrist to stop her, tugging her a little so that she stays in one spot.

“Hey, where you goin’?”

“I don’t know,” She nearly snaps, frustration working down her spine and making her feel on edge, like she’s standing on the tip of a needle.

Where was she going? To leave the apartment to get some air? To get her phone to contact Veto to let him know he was a snake and that the deal was off? God, she really wishes she could do that. Screw meeting in two lousy weeks to finish things—she wants to be done with him _now_.

She feels like crawling out of her own skin.

“God, I’m such an idiot.”

“Nah, don’t,” Rio argues, standing up to grab her other wrist in his hand. His touch is purposeful, firm, squeezing until she takes a breath and looks down at him. “As much as I hate to admit it, Veto’s good at what he does. One of the things he wanted was you, your trust, he worked on gettin’ that. It’s not your fault.”

Every time she thinks she has a handle on this business, this lifestyle, how to work in it all—she gets knocked back on her ass right into square one. She squeezes her eyes shut at how _naïve_ she feels.

It’s not her fault but— “It still…” She trails off but Rio knows exactly where she’s going with that.

He nods and squeezes her wrist as she stands between his legs, “It’s alright to fuck up—you’re still new at this. We’re partners, yeah?” Beth licks her lips, holding his gaze. “He got one by me too.”

Now he’s just trying to make her feel better, because, “No, you knew from the beginning that there was something about him you didn’t like.”

Rio licks his lips, letting out a soft sigh as his thumb trails over the inside of her wrist. “Yeah, but that had nothin’ to do with how he did business.”

She thinks this is the closest moment that she’s ever heard him get to admitting he was jealous about Veto, or at least, protective of _her_ when it came to Veto. But she’s not about to spoil the moment by mentioning it. She does smile, softly, and lean forward to press their foreheads together before pulling back.

“I’m going to make some tea; I don’t think I can sleep.”

He nods and lets her go, Beth turning to walk into the kitchen. As much as she wants to stop thinking about it, she can’t. She knows that this whole thing isn’t her fault, that Rio’s right, that there’s still so much for her to learn about being a player in this world. This whole time she was worried about Carlita and couldn’t see something going on right underneath her nose.

But she hates that it feels like Veto’s got one past her, that he snuck under her skin and burrowed there and festered and tried to take a piece of her while nonchalantly making her feel _admired._ Respected to the point where he wanted her to doubt a partnership she already had to make a new one.

And Ronald.

Beth closes her eyes as she plugs in the tea kettle, leaning against the counter. She feels sick to her stomach about Ronald. She keeps replaying that day in the warehouse over and over in her head—his wide eyes and trying to talk to her through his gag, on his knees bloody and broken and bewildered because the man who hired him was literally right behind her.

Veto wanted her to take care of him, to clean up _his_ mess.

She distinctly feels Rio come up behind her, creating a cage around her body as his arms slip around her waist. He pulls her back against his chest, his chin coming down to rest on her shoulder. Beth swallows thickly, breathing in the scent of fresh laundry, cologne and skin wrapping her up like a blanket.

He squeezes her, trying to loosen the tension in her body with his muscles and she can’t help but lean her head back just a little.

“You good, mami?”

Beth pulls a mug down from the cabinets, her fingers shaking just a little around the ceramic. “I feel like I should bake Carlita a batch of scones or something.” She’s joking, a laugh trying to weave its way along her syllables but it doesn’t quite stick.

He smirks, voice low and rough in her ear, “Yeah, she’d probably hate that.”

She smiles and nods, tipping one of his tins forward to pull out an English Breakfast teabag. He always makes sure he’s stacked up with these, even though he tends to prefer green. The tea kettle starts to steam and she pours hot water into her mug, overtop of the tea bag, grabbing the string to help steeping.

Rio turns her body after a moment so she’s facing him, his one hand staying on her waist while the other tips her chin, “Elizabeth.”

He waits until her gaze meets his own, thumb pressing at the corner of her mouth a moment. Her eyes trace his face, memorizing the lines there, the gentle pull of his lips, the scruff along his jawline and the strong details of the bird tattoo on his neck.

“I promise Veto will get his, until then you can’t worry about it.” His hand falls from her face, “Sometimes lettin’ go is just as hard as holdin’ on.”

Part of Beth wonders if he’s talking about Carlita, about what happened between them, if it was just as hard for him to hold onto what they were before he had to let go because of what she did. Because of how he felt after the fact—about how he still feels.

And regardless of that she knows he’s right, even though she wants to take care of this now, she can’t rush into it. She cups the side of his throat, her thumb tracing over the beak of his bird tattoo, leaning forward to press the softest of kisses to his lips.

Then, in the true fashion of letting go, she changes the subject.

“I see you’ve been watering your orchid.”

Rio smiles and licks his lips, his hand squeezing her hip. “Yeah, cause I don’t wanna hear about it if it dies.”

An unexpected laugh crawls up her throat and she turns to pick up her mug of tea before grabbing the honey out of one of the cabinets.

“You are spraying the petals, right? And you know orchids live kinda better in a warmer environment, you should consider turning the air down in your apartment.”

He groans as he follows her into the bedroom. “Now you’re gonna mess with my thermostat? I’m tellin’ you, take that thing home with you.”

“You raised a kid and you can’t handle a plant?” She teases over her shoulder, sitting down on his bed.

“Somehow this plant’s more complicated than Marcus.” Rio mumbles, disappearing into his closet to change his clothes.

Beth smiles softly, taking a sip of her tea after she sprays with petals with a fine mist from the bottle. She settles back into the headboard, letting the warmth from her mug seep into the palms of her hands, hoping to calm her before going to sleep.

Unfortunately, the tea does little to stop her nightmares from coming back and visiting her once she closes her eyes.

\--

While the meeting with Veto is in two weeks she also spaces on that holidays are coming up soon too. Sometimes she forgets herself, not yet quite mastering the juggling and blending of her personal and business life. Halloween is part of one of her favorite seasons but…she finds herself feeling disconnected from it as she pushes a cart in a grocery store, considering the idea of buying pumpkins for the kids to carve. She vaguely wonders if she could convince Jane to be a bumble bee since she spent that time making her costume for her play—that’d be one less kid she’d have to worry about for trick-or-treating.

For some reason it feels almost useless, like she should be thinking about something more important than pumpkins and costumes as she pauses in front of a display. Beth rubs the back of her neck as she looks at the sign, wondering if she can blame her lack of enthusiasm on not getting enough sleep.

She had Rio up too, which just adds to the layer of guilt that wants to settle on her shoulders. The only good thing? he’s not the one pushing her under the mud anymore. She really should tell Annie that she gave her good advice about the dream analysis, that she _was_ scared about the ‘other shoe’ dropping in their relationship. But she knows she’d never hear the end of it and she doesn’t quite put it past her sister to start charging by the hour the next time Beth asks for advice.

Regardless, ever since she told Rio about how she felt, it seemed to work its way out of her system. Her nightmares last night were more about the mud turning into blood and sinking into it on her own, no one on the riverbank to help her, Veto at the bottom _pulling_ on her legs, she was stuck and suffocating—

“This a really hard decision, or…?”

She looks over her shoulder at Rio who’s coming to stand by her side, looking into the big display of pumpkins with his hands in his pockets. He’s dressed in sharp lines today, black jeans, a light blue button-down shirt and a black overcoat. Her eyes run over his jawline and cheekbones, just because she can, before curling her hair around her ear.

“You never picked a pumpkin for carving before? It’s very serious business.”

He smiles a little and gives her his attention, “Yeah? They all look the same to me, ma.”

She scoffs out a soft sound and reaches over into the large basket to pull out a smaller pumpkin near the right, “See this one? Too lumpy. What kind of jack-o-lantern are you gonna make out of that?”

Rio scrunches his nose, touching the stem before she puts it back down into the group. He goes to reach for another one, slightly bigger, but still lumpy on the one side.

Beth shakes her head and puts her hand on his wrist, pushing the pumpkin back where it belongs. “Well it’s a good thing I’m here otherwise Marcus would end up with a very sad pumpkin.”

He smirks and puts his hands back in his pockets, “He usually does the whole carvin’ thing with Lana.”

“You don’t like the pumpkin guts all over your marble counters?” She teases, reaching in for a bigger pumpkin that’s closer to the shape she wants and sets it in her cart.

“Nah, I just,” He pauses a moment, a thought passing over his face. Beth notices his jaw work, just a little, chewing on something he’s not sure he wants to share with her. She gives him the time, grabbing another pumpkin to set in her cart.

“I didn’t really do all that when I was growin’ up. My abuela was too worried about _fantasmas_ you know? Ghosts?”

She smiles as she watches him talk, her body angling a little automatically as he opens up about his grandmother. He’s mentioned her before when he was talking about food, but it always ends up very brief. She knows Rio isn’t one to share things about his past, that he likes things to stay there instead of drudging it up, but she doesn’t think he realizes how nice it is to hear small moments about him—unguarded, honest.

“Are you afraid of jack-o-lanterns?” She asks and picks up a tiny pumpkin that’s probably more of a gourd and in the wrong bin, shaking it a little in his direction. “You know they’re actually supposed to scare away evil spirits.”

He smirks and gently pushes her wrist away, “Aight the orchid was one thing but you’re not about to put a bunch of jack-o-lanterns in my apartment.”

A soft laugh slips from between her lips, “Fine, will you at least grab that big one in the corner for me.”

She motions to it with her hand and Rio rounds the display, reaching in and picking it up before putting it in her cart. He brushes dirt off his coat and she takes the cart, starting to push it towards the front of the store.

“I know we have time before meeting Veto but,” She looks over at Rio who’s paused at a candy display, eyeing Hersey kisses. “Shouldn’t we talk about what we’re going to do?”

“There’s not much to do.” Rio responds, putting a bag in her cart. “We’re gonna show up, end our business transactions and I’m probably gonna shoot him.” He shrugs his one shoulder, nearly nonchalant, eyes meeting hers like he wants her to challenge his statement.

She shakes her head, going through the checkout and paying for everything despite the fact that he tries to give her a few bucks for the candy. She pushes her cart towards her van, popping the trunk and loads a pumpkin.

“And what’s Carlita think?”

Rio chuckles, amusement tinging his voice as he says, “Oh now you care what Carlita has to say?”

She bites her tongue on calling him difficult but is it really so terrible that she’s trying to think ahead on this? Beth knows that things are capable of change, that to be a part of this business means having a multiple set of plans because the sands shift too fast underneath her feet. She wants to be ready, not thrown off balance.

“I’m assuming she told you because she cares.”

He puts the bigger of the pumpkins into the trunk for her, brushing his hands off, “Carlita is gonna do what’s best for her, I appreciate her tellin’ us but we can’t count on her.”

Beth leans against the side of her trunk, crossing her arms over her chest as she watches him take the last few pumpkins she has in the cart and load them up for her. “So the plan is: walk in, shoot Veto.”

Rio’s eyes narrow just a little before he looks at her, his jaw working in that way that tells her he’s teetering on losing his patience. He chews on the inside of his cheek, “I’m sorry that’s not detailed enough for you. What kind of plan do you want, Mission Impossible?”

“I’m just saying there has to be something better than shooting him in the chest.” She lowers her voice when other shoppers pass and Rio takes a step towards her, their height difference making her look up at him.

“Who said I’m aimin’ for his chest?”

A stark shiver runs down Beth’s spine but she refuses to squirm in front of him. Her hands squeeze her biceps and she has to stop herself from rolling her eyes because can’t he see the problem with just walking in and shooting Veto? Odds are, he’s going to have men there and Carlita and even if Aviles shows up with them, they’re still outnumbered. Wouldn’t it be better to get in close? Get him to drop his guard?

She chews on her lower lip, “Veto wanted a partnership with me, I could—”

He puts his hand up and cuts her off, “Nah, I’m gonna stop you right there.” He says quickly, “I know where you’re goin’ with this and I don’t wanna hear it.”

She doesn’t care, he’s not even willing to hear her out, “But I could be a distraction.”

“What I just say.” It’s not a question and he almost speaks through his teeth when he says it, not liking when he has to repeat himself.

Beth feels frustration start to bubble under her skin like tiny ants are crawling along her veins. She feels a sense of déjà vu from when she’d try to tell Dean suggestions for the dealership, how to sell vans, how to appeal to women, to families and how he practically told her to stay in the kitchen. Rio’s done it once before, a patronizing ‘stay in your lane’ back when she wanted to know what was in those cars he was bringing into her lots.

She hates to compare the two because they’re nothing alike and they’ve come so far, but the feeling is still the same.

“Oh, I forgot. I’m still ‘new at this’, right?” Beth throws his language back at him from last night and she knows that’s not completely fair. He said that to her as a source of comfort, not ridicule, but she hates the finality in his tone that they can’t talk about this.

His eyebrows pinch together in confusion because _what?_ and his mouth actually opens and closes before he tries to follow her train of thought, “Me turnin' down your idea don't got nothin' to do with how experienced you are or not.” He takes another step towards her to eliminate the distance between them, “We’re not usin’ you as bait.”

Beth’s eyes search Rio’s brown ones and while she wants to argue that it’s not as _simple_ as being bait but…she can’t find the words to insist that that’s not what she’s doing. She sighs and lets her arms fall from in front of her chest, almost mimicking the wall crumbling that she’s keeping up around herself. He picks his hand up and plays with a strand of hair near her ear, pinching her chin gently before letting her go.

“We won’t need an elaborate plan.” He glances into her trunk, “I realize this is a knee-jerk reaction for you; sure you got a bunch of plans for the amount of pumpkins you just bought.”

She feels blush kiss her cheeks, a soft smile tugging the ends of her mouth. “Oh didn’t you put two and two together? This is all about flipping your game.”

A sudden laugh sneaks up out of Rio’s chest, a sound she wishes she could bottle—he really doesn’t do it enough. His hands find hers, their fingers lacing together as she stands up on her toes and kisses his cheek.

“What? Are you not taking me seriously?” She raises an eyebrow.

He grins, turning to look at her, their noses brushing. “Oh please, tell me more.”

“I’m telling you; you could make a big profit in the pumpkin selling business, Rio. The numbers don’t lie.”

“Basic bitches really _do_ like their pumpkins.” He nips at her lower lip before pulling back, hands on the cart to push it back towards the grocery store. “Next thing you’re gonna tell me is that we’re in the Christmas Tree industry too.”

“I was gonna wait on that _at least_ until December.” She calls after him before closing the trunk of her van.

\--

Time passes as it usually does: slow and consistent. Beth spends her time keeping herself busy; which includes working with her kids on what they want their Halloween costumes to be, planning parties with the PTA and gathering supplies while they’re on sale at local craft stores.

Her nightmares fade on and off—some nights they’re not so bad, others keep her up, and despite talking them out with Rio it seems to do little to help. She thinks because this meeting with Veto is still hanging over their heads and what they’re going to do when it all comes down to it.

She’s not very good at biding her time. But until then? At least there’s baking to do.

“How many pumpkins did you _get_ exactly?” Annie asks, spinning a little on the counter chair as she takes a sip of her wine.

“There was sale.” Beth explains with a shrug, rolling her homemade pumpkin loaf on her counter.

“There’s a sale and then there’s pumpkin _robbery_ which is what you seem to be committing.” Ruby chuckles, leaning over the counter to reach for a bowl of Chex mix. “You’ve got ten in there.”

She motions towards the dining room with a head tilt as Annie tries to take the bowl of cream cheese filling without Beth noticing. She eyes her sister with a soft scoff.

“You’re lucky I’m done with that.” She brushes her hands off her apron and dusts the pumpkin roll with powdered sugar. “Some of those pumpkins are for carving, the kids also take one to school to decorate next week _and_ there’s one for Marcus.”

Annie scoops cream cheese icing into her mouth and Ruby most _definitely_ scrunches her nose in disgust. “Girl, the least you can do is pretend you’re not eating icing on its own.”

“Why would I do that?” She asks, mouth full before scoffing.

Beth smirks and picks up her wine to take a sip, watching the interaction between the two before she starts cutting the pumpkin loaf into even slices.

“So not that we don’t enjoy a surprise pumpkin loaf…” Ruby starts off and Beth already knows where she’s going with this. They know her too well.

“We really do.” Annie agrees, pushing the bowl away from herself as she puts a hand over her stomach. Too much cream cheese icing enjoyment.

Ruby rolls her eyes, “But we know you’re not making it for the PTA—”

“And it’s sure as fuck not for Dean.”

“We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

Beth cleans off the knife she used to cut the pumpkin loaf and starts dealing out a slice to each of them on small plates. She avoids their gazes for a long moment because she should have known that they’d be able to read right through her. Crafting, planting and baking have always been her safe zone, have always comforted her when she felt like she was being pushed into a corner or too worried about something out of her control.

She thought it’d work itself out but she supposes it’s also okay if it doesn’t—these two always seem to know when to prod her, to get her to talk when she’s not sure if she wants to.

“It is about Rio and that girl? Carla?” Annie frowns, “Wait, what’s her name?”

“ _Carlita.”_ Ruby corrects with a shake of her head and Annie scoffs against the rim of her wine glass at the soft scolding.

“Close enough.”

Beth unties her apron, grabbing forks for everyone and digging into her slice with a satisfied sigh. It’s clearly been a while since she’s caught them up and sometimes she never really realizes how busy she’s been until a girl’s night puts everything into perspective. They’ve known about the dealership, obviously, but the inner workings of Carlita, Veto, Ronald, _and_ her complicated relationship web with Rio? Not so much.

She has no idea where to start.

“Carlita’s not who I thought she was.” Beth offers, not willing to dive into the intimacy of what Rio told her about his past. It feels like she’d be betraying him somehow if she did, so she skirts around it.

“Is she worse?” Annie asks, leaning on top of the counter to tuck her legs underneath herself on the stool. It looks incredibly uncomfortable and for some reason it looks like she might resemble a pretzel but who is she to judge?

“Would you let her talk?” Ruby asks, eyeing her in a way that tells Beth that she might push her off her stool.

She licks her lips and takes another bite of the pumpkin loaf, a content feeling curling all the way down into her toes when Ruby does the same and makes a noise of enjoyment. This is another reason she loves baking, seeing people’s reactions, appreciating all the work she’s put into it.

“Let’s just say that Carlita’s been through a lot and life hasn’t been kind to her…” She trails off, looking up at the both of them. “I think we can empathize with that; you know?”

Ruby glances at Annie before nodding her head, pouring more wine for the three of them. “Damn straight. Though we’re certainly luckier than most.”

Annie hums, “Least we got each other. And cream cheese icing exists in the same era that I do.”

Beth giggles softly and finishes her slice of pumpkin roll before putting her plate in the sink. Ruby takes another slice for herself and Annie digs back into the icing bowl even though she’ll probably regret it.

“So you and Rio are good.”

She nods and the sides of her mouth tug up just a little and _course_ both of them see it at the same time, sharing looks that remind Beth of what it was like to have sleepovers when they were younger.

“Well _spill.”_ Ruby playfully shoves her shoulder and Beth pulls away from both of them so she can start cleaning up her kitchen. Something for her hands to do but she’s smiling as she talks.

“Closet space.”

It sounds simple even though she knows it isn’t and laughs when Annie does a ridiculous fist pump that does knock her off balance. She has to grab the counter so she doesn’t tumble onto the floor but she grabs her wine and cheers it with Ruby, who’s equally happy for her.

“Dude the fact that you got closet space in an apartment he didn’t even want you to know existed is a big deal.”

“You didn’t have to break into his closet though, did you?” Ruby teases and Annie laughs hard enough that wine almost comes out her nose.

Beth throws Chex mix at both of them but she’s laughing too, a soft pink blush working its way down the back of her neck now. Breaking into Rio’s apartment felt like _so_ long ago.

“I’ll have you two know that I only broke in _once…”_ Technically? She did climb through the fire escape more than once but, “Rio gave me a key.”

“Oh she’s got a key.” Annie tells Ruby who grins and picks Chex mix up off the counter that Beth’s tossed in her direction and pops it into her mouth. “Feels like a good step forward.”

Beth lifts her glass and the girls copy her motion, cheers’ing their wine and taking a slow sip.

It takes a few moments for them to settle down but it feels good? To be able to talk about this with them. Even though her relationship with Rio sometimes seems complicated, she knows how she feels about him. He’s not exactly the strongest with his words either, he can hide behind them, can bend them until they no longer mean what’s intended. But his actions? Rio’s honest with those.

Giving her closet space, a key, the soft touches to her face, holding her hands, teaching her how to shoot a gun, giving her advice, letting her lead and plan deals, helping her paint her desk, putting a ridiculous amount of pumpkins into her van, and pressing kisses to her shoulders just because.

Yeah, it’s not as _defined_ as Beth’s used to—but they know what they are to one another.

And that’s enough.

“So if it’s not Rio,” Annie sits up in her seat before hopping down to also put her plate in the sink, “What’s wrong?”

Beth grabs her wine and the Chex mix, intent on going into the living room for couch space. She feels the girls follow suit, all settling in front of the TV. It takes her a few moments to work the remote, putting on some season of Desperate Housewives as white noise in the background.

She chews on her lower lip, “Veto’s the one who broke into the dealership.”

Annie curls her legs up under herself. “I thought you said it was Ronald.”

Ruby puts a blanket over Beth’s shoulders and steals the Chex Mix bowl from her. She puts her lips against the rim of her glass and thinks for a moment, tossing the remote onto the coffee table.

“He did, but Veto’s the one who _hired_ him.”

“Oh shit. I knew he was fucking shady.” Annie shakes her head, holding her wine glass to her chest like it needs protected.

Ruby snorts, sounding skeptical, “Oh yeah you called it, huh?”

Annie glares at her but before Chex mix literally flies over her lap, Beth sits up a little and interrupts them, “We have our last meeting with him in less than a week and Rio’s insisting that we don’t need a plan.”

Ruby chews on her lower lip, “I’m sure he knows what he’s talking about, babe.”

Annie watches her a moment, her arm stretching over her sister’s shoulders. “But I’m sure that doesn’t make it any easier.”

She sighs and leans back into her, closing her eyes for a moment. “I just want this whole thing to be over.”

Neither of them really say anything and honestly? Beth didn’t expect them to. What they do instead is almost even better than them saying the right thing—they inch closer to her on the couch and wrap their arms around her, hugging her from both sides. She smiles instantly, breathing them both in, snuggling in close as Annie kisses her cheek and Ruby nuzzles her nose into her hair.

“Honestly, you know what we just created? The best live version of a pumpkin roll—with you being the cream cheese icing center.”

“She knows what’s in a pumpkin roll Annie, she just made one.” Ruby tuts but she’s laughing.

Annie then proceeds to mock Ruby’s last sentence and suddenly they’re all laughing, almost spilling wine on her couch and she can’t think of a more perfect girl’s night in.

\--

The rest of the week drags on like nails on a chalkboard. Rio does his best to distract her but it’s clear that he’s preoccupied too; they still got a business to run and other plans to make if they’re not going to use Veto for storage. Ironically, the guy that they drove a car to the other night has a cousin who owns another dealership in Detroit. It’s closer to Boland Motors, which might end up better for them (easier to transfer and switch cars), and according to Rio he’s willing to start out small and work his way up.

It’s terrible but at this point all she wants to say is: as long as they’re not working with Veto, she doesn’t care who they work with.

They arrive to the warehouse fifteen minutes early, Beth’s eyes grazing over the building even though she’s seen it too many times. There’s only one black car, Veto’s, by the front entrance that’s closed.

She runs a hand through her hair—it’s a wonderfully crisp afternoon. Perfect weather for Fall, the sun is out but it’s still cold enough that you can see your breath fog up right in front of your face. It feels odd to be here right now, the rays of sun somehow warped against the harsh, cold metal of the warehouse.

Rio turns the engine off to his car and she undoes her seatbelt, her fingers moving to play with the bottom of the heavier peacoat she’s got on. It’s funny—all she wanted to do was get through to this moment and now that they’re here? She doesn’t want to go inside. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see him take his beanie off and set it on the dashboard, undoing his seatbelt as well.

The car’s quiet, tension hanging thick like a net over both of them, trying to reign them in. She reaches down into her bag and grabs the book and her gun. Despite Rio telling her she has to use it as an extension of her arm, it never fails to feel so foreign and heavy between her fingertips. She’ll never be like him, or Carlita or Veto—she can’t just _accept_ that this weapon is a part of her.

She hopes that never ends up being a bad thing.

“Is it loaded?”

Beth looks over at Rio and blinks at his question, pulling her out of her train of thought. She checks the magazine and nods, sliding it back up into the gun. Honesty, she couldn’t remember if she reloaded after their last target practice.

Rio checks his own gun, clicking a bullet into barrel before maneuvering it into the back of his waistband.

“You remember how that works, yeah?” He’s mostly teasing her but his hand covers hers on the gun. It’s not until she feels his skin on her own that she realizes she’s shaking.

He guides her through the steps of loading a bullet into the barrel, his thumb brushing along hers as he takes the safety off.

“Look at me,” He squeezes her hand until her eyes find his. “Don’t take this out unless you have to. Understand?”

Beth nods her head again, somehow all the words she wants caught between her throat and her tongue—but she understands where he’s going with this. This won’t be like the last time; if she takes her gun out there won’t be a showdown, someone will just take care of her. While her aim isn’t terrible, she’s not fast and that could be her undoing.

Rio takes a moment to brush her hair over her shoulder, his thumb grazing along her jawline before getting out of the car. Beth follows suit, sliding her gun into her coat pocket, grabbing the book from the dashboard and closing the door. She takes a long look at the warehouse before following Rio towards the door, hating how her knees are shaking like bowls of jelly.

She straightens her back when he slides the door open and pauses before she enters because…

Veto is standing in the warehouse alone. She’s not sure what she expected but it wasn’t this, not even the muscle he had last time is with him. He’s standing at a table across the warehouse, near another open entrance that leads into the back, and he’s…cleaning his gun.

He looks up when he hears them come in and she can see a soft smile tugging its way onto his mouth even from the distance. “The punctuality is appreciated, come on in.”

Beth slips her hands into her coat pockets, fingers squeezing the base of her gun for comfort as they approach the table. She watches him carefully clean his weapon, clicking parts back into place before sliding it into the waistband of his dress pants. He wants to give them his full attention and rounds the table to sit against the edge of it.

His eyes graze over Beth, drawing his lower lip into his mouth. “So is that it?” He’s referring to the book in her hand.

She sets it on the table and opens it up, showing the pages that has the cars mapped out for the next several months; IDs, labels, who they might be going to, where they currently are, etc. Veto takes a long look at it, hand running over the lower half of his face before he looks up at her.

“Sure you won’t reconsider my proposal?”

She bites down, hard, on the inside of her cheek because _really?_ He’s actually going to bring that up in front of Rio.

“Nah, she’s good.”

That’s the first time Veto tears his eyes away to look at her partner, like it’s suddenly occurred to him that she’s not alone. Rio’s jaw is working, eyes boring into the man in front of him, but Veto’s demeanor is unchanging—he’s calm, collected, even a little bit amused at Rio’s reaction.

“Pity.” He hums under his breath, eyes fluttering back to the book. “She may come to that decision on her own in time, that’s what happened with Carlita right?”

Rio visibly bristles at the mention of Carlita and what transpired between them in their past and Beth speaks up before he can say anything,

“I’d really appreciate it if you’d stop talking about me like I’m not here,” She almost holds her breath, “My partnership with Rio is none of your business because we’re finished working with you.”

Veto stands up straight, closing her book on the table. “Is that so? How disappointedly predictable.”

Somehow in the back of her mind, she knows this isn’t going well. She didn’t expect Veto to be shocked by this news but he doesn’t even look mildly surprised; he seems annoyed, bored even, sticking his hands in the pockets of his slacks as he looks at Rio.

“The length that this deal took to make—”

“Setbacks that were _your_ problem.” Veto interrupts even though Rio keeps talking, adding things on, taking closer steps to where Veto’s standing.

“The interest on the cars, putting your hands on Carlita—”

“Oh and that’s what it’s really about isn’t it? Your precious Carlita.” He smirks, shaking his head as if he pities him. His eyes glance over to Beth, wanting to see a reaction from her but she refuses to give him one.

“And the dealership,” Rio snaps, his patience wearing thin.

At the mention of the dealership, Veto’s stance changes. He stands up a little straighter, a curtain of steel falling down over his gaze—he’s _angry,_ as if what Rio’s saying is finally starting to click into place.

“You think you can just pull out of a deal with me? You’ve got some nerve.”

Beth laughs, can’t help it, the sound a little strangled as it leaves her mouth. “We’ve got a lot of nerve? You act like dishonesty offends you…and yet you’re the one who hired Ronald to break into my dealership. For what?”

Was it all some big test about her loyalty? To see what she’d do next? To see if she’d kill Ronald when he asked her to take care of a problem?

She shakes her head, sick to her stomach and she wishes she could turn away from him because she can’t even look him in the eyes. Beth’s never felt so disgusted with someone before, not even Warez.

“You stood here and let Carlita kill a man who _you_ hired.”

Veto licks his lips, his eyes narrowing just a little as he looks at her. He almost looks confused? by what she’s saying, like he’s having trouble processing it. As if what had happened that day in the warehouse was supposed to be anything but what it was.

“I don’t care.” He says simply, as if it’s hard for her to understand that concept. “There are people in this business who are made to be stepped on—otherwise how are you supposed to get on top?” He takes a step closer to her, almost infringing on her space. Part of her wants to take a step back while the other wants to hold her ground to show him that he’s not scaring her.

“I thought I admired you for your standards but…” He takes a breath in, eyes traveling down her body, “You’re in the wrong business, sweetheart, if you think you can’t get your hands dirty.” It’s said so condescendingly that it’s almost a slap to her face, her grip on her gun tighter in her coat pocket.

“If that’s not the first thing Rio told you about getting involved,” His eyes flicker to her partner, “Then he’s not teaching you the right way.”

It’s quiet for a long moment, tension popping like fireworks around them. It’s almost like Veto can sense the air shift because the moment Beth turns to look at Rio—he grabs her. It’s quick, a violent jerk, turning her body so that her back is against his chest. She tries to pull her gun out of her pocket but Veto twists her arm, painfully and she yelps as bones threaten to crack. Her knees knock together, almost lightheaded from the pain, trying to back up against his body to weaken his grip on her but it doesn’t work.

“You can keep squirming but it’s not going to help you.” He says calmly, reaching into her coat pocket for her gun.

When Beth is finally able to glance at Rio, wincing as Veto presses _her_ gun against her ribs, he’s already got his own aimed at him. The problem is that she’s too much in the way, her body too mapped out against his own, blocking him from a decent shot.

“Let her go.”

She tries to think of a few ways she could get herself out of this but every time she moves, even just a fraction, Veto twists her arm a little tighter. She bites down hard so she doesn’t whine out at the pressure, excruciating in a way that it almost takes her mind off the gun aimed between her ribs.

“It’s really too bad, Elizabeth, I saw a bright future for you.”

Rio takes another step forward and he’s close enough that she can see the way his finger shakes on the trigger—he wants to pull it, is almost certain about his aim, but she could easily get hit. Frustration boils on his face like a thunderstorm, the muscle in his jaw clenching as he speaks through his teeth—

“What do you want, Veto?”

Veto looks up at Rio, his hips pressing a little into her back. A strangled noise gets caught in her chest as he pushes the gun harder against her ribs, “You’re willing to negotiate?” He asks, voice like a cool stream, exactly the opposite of how rough he’s holding her, “That’s something I never though I’d see; you’ve gone soft.”

Rio remains unchanging in front of him, his eyes flickering to hers every so often, as if he’s checking on her.

“I don’t want anything from you,” It almost comes out as a sneer. “Because I’ve already taken everything. Carlita sold you out.”

Beth’s lungs take in a short intake of breath, her eyes fluttering over Rio’s face. It’s like stone, unchanging, his aim still on Veto’s head regardless of where her body is placed against him. She’s not sure if she believes him; after everything? Carlita is willing to take from Rio?

“She’s at one of your warehouses as we speak, taking control of your operations. We both know how bossy she can be.”

She doesn’t think it’s possible, wants to call out Veto’s bluff—but a seed of doubt starts spreading up through her chest, attaching to her ribs like ivy. Even Rio’s said that they couldn’t count on her because she’s always going to do what’s best for her. What if this was it—acting like she cared so she could take Rio’s business out from underneath his nose?

But then she sees something shift on Rio’s face, his gun lowering ever so slowly and Beth’s eyebrows draw together because _what?_

“I wouldn’t be too sure; Carlita’s very much a woman of her own self-interest.”

He scoffs, not seeming to notice the slight change in Rio’s demeanor, “I guess that’s why it was so easy for her to make that decision. Probably a little jealous about,” Veto purposely twists her arm, her body jerking to the right into the gun as she cries out in pain. “This one.”

And then she hears it—the click of another gun, Veto’s body going as stiff as the cold metal of the warehouse around them.

“Well, I wouldn’t really use the word ‘jealous’—that implies there’s some sort of competition.” Carlita says, voice dipping with something too sweet. “Let her go.”

Rio puts his gun into the waistband of his jeans and Beth doesn’t mean to hold her breath but she does, her heartbeat ticking by in her ears as Veto considers where Carlita’s standing; as if he might be able to turn around or make another move. She presses the gun further into the back of his neck, she can feel his head dip forward.

“Don’t think about it, just do it.” Her tongue curls around the language, intoxicating almost—she likes being in control and it’s evident in how she talks.

Veto loosens his grip and Rio reaches for her, gently pulling her into his chest, his body almost in front of her own as they step to the side. She flexes her fingers, wincing as she tries to get the blood to flow normally, her limb almost asleep and bones sensitive from being twisted a way they weren’t meant to go.

“Carlita,” Veto says slowly and he nearly sounds impressed. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

She smirks prettily, glancing down at her feet. Beth follows the action, “It’s probably the flats. Just bought them. Put the gun down.”

The muscle in Veto’s jaw works, clearly not liking being told what to do, but he very slowly puts Beth’s gun down on the table on top of her book. Rio’s hands gently hold her wrists, running his thumb over the hand that Veto had twisted behind her back. She can see the moment he realizes he’s being backed into a corner,

“Now Carlita, I understand I’ve made some mistakes…I admit that,” Veto licks his lips, “But you’re not seriously going to let your old feelings for Rio cloud your judgement, are you?”

Beth watches something pass over Carlita’s eyes like a fog, her gun lowering just a moment before— “I don’t _let_ anyone do anythin’.”

And a gunshot rings out in a thunderous echo, vibrating against the walls of the warehouse, as Carlita shoots Veto in the back of the head.

\--

Despite all her experiences with it, Beth isn’t the best with blood.

She turns suddenly, Rio’s voice like cotton in her ears as she pulls away from him, something like smoke and metal and _skin_ filling her sense of smell so hard that it almost knocks her over. She has to leave—she has to walk out of the warehouse and get some fresh air.

A little amount of blood is okay; she’s dealt with scraped knees and playground related injuries, she had a nosebleed once when she was younger, cleaned it up out of her dining room carpet after Rio shot Dean—the sting of bleach still lingers in her nose.

She killed a man before, albeit to save Rio, and somehow—

Somehow it just doesn’t match up to the blood splatter that came out of Veto’s head.

Beth feels herself stumble, her hand coming down hard on the corner of a wall and she turns into it because there’s a fuzzy blackness overwhelming her vision. She lifts her head a moment later to try and get her bearings—she’s in a room, no, an office—

And it takes her a moment to realize where she is because.

The office warehouse, covered in dirt and grime and dried blood because it’s the same space where Ronald was shot and—

Beth feels her breathing quicken, heartbeat drowning out everything in her ears to the point where it’s almost painful. Her hands are shaking, pain still circulating up her arm from how he twisted it against her back. She tries not to replay it over and over again. She can’t believe he’s dead, the span of time sticking like pins in her brain. He was there, holding her against him like a shield, and then he was on the concrete, skull splattered open—

Beth’s stomach gives a lurch and she has to put her arm over herself and take a deep breath in through her nose, letting it out her mouth so the nausea disappears. The walls feel like they’re shaking around her, trembling against the molding, sliding in on her and a sense of foreboding slides between her bones.

She’s trapped, leftover claustrophobia circulating through her limbs at being twisted against Veto.

Veto who she’s had meetings with and dinners and who ate her blueberry muffins and who wanted to have a partnership with her. Veto who was handsome, dressed nicely, and had a mother and maybe siblings like Annie and best friends like Ruby and _God,_ what if he had kids? That depended on him? That clashes angrily with thoughts about how she doesn’t _care_ that he’s dead, that he deserved it, that he was a liar and cheat and he tried to destroy everything she’s built.

The conflict of emotions rage inside her like waves crashing into one another.

It’s dark and the walls get closer and somewhere in the back of her mind, she’s trying to figure out why this all feels so familiar.

And then she realizes it’s because she’s sinking—it feels like she’s sinking and it’s dark and she can’t breathe. It’s her nightmare. It’s her nightmare and she can’t wake up.

Until she feels a hand on her arm and it’s pulling her, pulling her out of that room and back into the main space of the warehouse. The breeze from the open door hits her sweat kissed skin and there’s pressure on her shoulders, squeezing.

“Elizabeth.” Rio says, “Hey come on, mama, look at me.”

He’s a little rough when he grabs her chin but it gets her to open her eyes, to finally meet his gaze even though it feels like she might faint. Her hands grab the lapels of his jacket, trying to anchor herself and he nods because he gets it, he understands her without saying anything and he takes a deep breath in and out.

“You need to breathe, yeah? Just like me.” He unhooks one of her hands and puts it purposely on his chest, “Feel that? I want you to copy me.”

Beth stutters as she takes oxygen into her lungs, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. But she’s trying, she’s trying—she feels the way his chest expands and then contracts. In and out, over and over.

“There you go, just like that.” He whispers, watching her, squeezing the hand that’s holding it to his chest.

Her breathing eventually evens out, a tear slipping down her cheek as she feels relief almost quite literally fill her ribcage. It’s like someone’s loosened a rope from being tied around her diaphragm—her eyes flicker up to Rio’s.

His hand cups the side of her head and pulls her into his chest, a kiss brushed against her temple as she presses her face into his shoulder.

He’s pulled her up and out of the dirt.

\--

She sits in the car while Rio and Carlita stay in the warehouse—most likely _cleaning up_ after Veto or figuring out what to do. Beth glances down at her hands before leaning her head back against the seat. The door’s open so that the cool afternoon air can filter through the car and she can’t believe she keeps coming back to this over and over, but she never thought she’d be _grateful_ for Carlita showing up when she did.

When she hears chatter to her right, she turns her head to see Carlita and Rio leaving the warehouse. He’s saying something over her shoulder to her but she can’t quite make it out, a smile on Carlita’s lips that looks a little amused.

She wonders how she does it—how she smiles like that after shooting someone in the head. Rio doesn’t look phased either, like it’s another day in business and this is just one other thing he has to figure out, check off his list.

They _are_ the same side of one coin, she realizes; but maybe that’s why her and Rio work out so well: because Beth is the other side—there’s a balance.

Rio pauses and turns, Carlita coming to stand in front of him so she can see both of their profiles and he glances back into the warehouse before saying, “There’s probably a joke somewhere about you always gettin’ people from the back…”

Carlita rolls her eyes and a soft scoff leaves her lips, “Veto had this coming. He put his hands on me, underestimated me, got greedy when he should have been treatin’ the people he worked with like they were partners. I didn’t do that in there for you.”

He’s smiling, amused yet…Beth can see something deeper, _respect_ maybe, as Rio puts his hands on her shoulders and squeezes. “I know you didn’t.” He leans forward and presses a kiss to her forehead, a goodbye, and pulls back to head to the car. “Until next time, Carlita.”

Beth closes the car door, a soft smile towards the other woman as she watches Rio get into the car. She rolls down the window when Rio starts the engine, the words sitting on her tongue a moment before, “Thank you.”

Carlita smiles, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh I’m sure I’ll be seein’ you two again.” And winks before heading back into the warehouse.

Rio sighs, “Let’s just hope it’s not _too_ soon.” He mumbles and reaches for Beth’s hand, loosely lacing their fingers as he pulls his car out of the parking lot.

\--

The minute they make it back to Rio’s apartment, Beth makes a beeline for the bathroom. She turns the shower on, allowing the water to get hot and begins to strip the layers from her body. She wants to wash this day down the drain, to leave it all here in this bathroom and to be able to start fresh when the shower is over.

Her shoes are off, coat folded on the sink, her jeans crumbled up on the floor and that’s when Rio comes into the bathroom. His eyes drink her in, gazing over pale skin before he licks his lips and closes the distance between them. He stands there for a moment, his hands gently falling to her waist, running his thumbs over the fabric of her blouse before unbuttoning it.

The steam from the shower surrounds them like a mist, kissing the mirror and fogging it up. When he slides her shirt off her shoulders and it flutters to the floor, a soft smile tugs the edges of his mouth as he sees the bra she has on. It’s a ridiculous lace pattern that she wouldn’t usually wear but it was the only thing clean that she’s been keeping at his place.

She rolls her eyes and unhooks it from behind, setting it down on top of her jeans. His hands grip her waist, a soft crinkle appearing between his eyebrows as his thumb runs over a bruise blooming on her ribs from the barrel of Veto’s gun. Beth chews on her lower lip as Rio leans down and kisses the spot, standing after a moment and finally shedding some layers of his own.

He backs up until he opens up the shower door, pulling her in with him, holding her under the stream. His lips find her neck, kissing, mapping out her skin with his lips. Beth lets out a slow breath, her eyes closing, their touches not leading to anything more other than this.

Just to feel one another.

Rio cups both sides of her head, threading his fingers through her hair before she leans in and nips his lower lip. Beth smiles, kissing him, pressing herself up on her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. They only pull back when they need to breathe, their noses brushing. When he takes a step back from her, he grabs her shampoo while his other hand falls to her waist, turning her around.

She lets out a soft sigh as hot water falls against her chest, her eyes slipping closed when she feels his hands work her shampoo through her hair.

For once it feels like the world isn’t spinning wildly around her, but moreso that everything is falling into place.

\--

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” Rio mumbles as he turns the car after a red light.

Beth smiles as she leans back into her seat and shrugs her one shoulder. “I’m very persuasive, what can I say?”

“I’m sayin’ this is more than an orchid and you gotta make it up to me.” He parks the car but doesn’t turn the engine off, undoing his seatbelt.

She chews on her lower lip, purposely trailing her eyes over his torso. “I’m sure I can think of a few ways.”

A laugh bubbles up from his chest and he points at her, “Table all that, we got hours dedicated to this carvin’ shit and I can’t be distracted. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll come with you,” She says, opening her car door. “Marcus has been practicing his ‘run and jump’ hug, so clearly I can’t disappoint him.”

He shakes his head and gets out of the car too, jogging up a pair of steps to the front door of where Marcus was having a play date. She follows but doesn’t walk all the way up onto the porch, watching as the front door opens and Rio says a few words to a mother. Marcus runs out and she laughs as he tackle hugs her middle, much better aim, and she digs her heels into the pavement so she doesn’t falter.

“That was a nice one.”

He grins up at her, “Hi, Ms. Beth.” And then turns his head. “Ms. Courtney, this is my dad’s girlfriend.”

Beth feels that same cinder block hit her in the chest over such a simple word. This time, however, her and Rio’s eyes meet—they share a look for what feels like forever even though she knows it’s a few simple moments, his gaze narrowing as he chews on a thought.

And then, “Yeah, Courtney, I don’t think you had a chance to meet Elizabeth.”

Her mouth goes dry and she quickly swallows before waving, throwing out a ‘nice to meet you’ across the void because Marcus is squeezing her too tight for her to move. She can’t take her eyes off Rio, finishing up his conversation with this woman before walking down the steps towards them.

He picks his son up, smiling up at him against his chest, the interaction previously glazing over like it never happened. But it did and there’s no need to talk about it.

It’s not like she needed this affirmation before but does it suck to have it? Definitely not.

“We’re gonna go home and carve pumpkins, alright?”

Marcus’s eyes light up like the sun. “But what about _fantasmas?”_

Rio ruffles his hair with a light eyeroll, “Yeah we’re just not gonna tell abuela, alright?”

And Beth most definitely covers her mouth with her hand to prevent herself from laughing as she gets back into the car.

\--

Rio sets up his kitchen counter for pumpkin carving, picking Marcus up so he can stand on a chair before he cuts the top off.

“You ready to take the guts out?” He asks, looking down at his son, who grins up at him like it’s the most important job he’s ever done.

Beth laughs softly and touches Marcus’s hair as he digs his hands in, “We’re gonna clean the seeds later and bake them in the oven. They’re really good with a little cinnamon sugar, or Cajun if you like them spicy.”

She watches Rio play with the cap of a sharpie a few moments before he scrunches his nose, “How do you even trace on this thing?”

“See I knew we were going to run into this problem, should have let me compare pumpkin displays.” She tilts her head at Marcus’s pumpkin. “It’ll be fine…I’m sure the design won’t be that complex. What kind of jack-o-latern do you want, sweetie?”

“A Spinosaurus.” He says confidently and looks up at Rio who opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish.

Beth smirks and pats his back, her hand traveling down his spine to rest around his hip. “Well, good luck with that.”

Rio mouths _make it up to me_ before pressing a kiss to her jawline, moving to help Marcus clean the guts out of his pumpkin. She smiles as she watches them, pulling her hair back to get it out of her face so she can help with carving.

She remembers one of the first times Rio really mentioned Marcus and now she's in his kitchen about to carve pumpkins with the both of them.

He was late to that drop that she thought she could handle on her own. _That_ ended terribly, Rio earning himself a bullet graze when he tackled her onto the pavement. He barely could tell her that Marcus had been sick, his walls that thick and high, keeping her out.

That was the first time they kissed.

_His voice is rough like the stroke of his thumb, the way he speaks digging down into that heated pool that starts to gather between her legs. “Partners, ma.”_

Partners now, for real, in every sense of the word.

A promise.


End file.
